Military · Roman Empire Daily
Roman soldiers could lock their shields into a 'tortoise' (testudo) to advance under a hail of missiles.
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Front ranks held shields forward while those behind raised theirs overhead, forming a near-continuous shell. The testudo was especially useful approaching walls during sieges.
Source: Cassius Dio, 'Roman History,' 49.30; Polybius, 'Histories,' 28.
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